Curriculum Programs Foundation to 10

Policy

This policy outlines the requirements for school-based curriculum programs in Victorian government schools across Foundation to Year 10. These requirements apply to all schools, including those providing alternative curriculum programs.

Summary

• Schools must provide all students with a planned and structured school-based curriculum program. There must be evidence of:
  • a whole-school curriculum plan showing how the curriculum areas of the Victorian Curriculum F–10 will be substantially addressed, organised and implemented, including number of teaching hours delivered in the curriculum areas
  • timetables that demonstrate how the 8 key learning areas are delivered
  • an explanation of how and when the curriculum and teaching practice will be reviewed.
• School-based curriculum programs must meet school registration curriculum standards and comply with associated departmental policies, including Physical and Sport Education – Delivery Requirements, Languages Education and Holocaust Education.
• Schools may align the design and delivery of school-based curriculum programs to advice provided by Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) and to the Framework for Improving Student Outcomes 2.0 (FISO 2.0).
• By 2027, all Victorian government primary schools, including those offering alternative curriculum programs, must implement the Victorian reading position: teaching reading through a structured literacy approach, with a minimum of 25 minutes spent daily on systematic synthetic phonics.
• By 2028, all Victorian government schools, including those offering alternative curriculum programs, must have embedded the Victorian Teaching and Learning Model 2.0 (VTLM 2.0) in their teaching and learning programs.
• Schools may access Victorian Lesson Plans (on Arc) to support their implementation of the Victorian Curriculum F–10, the VTLM 2.0 and the Victorian Reading and Mathematics positions.

Details

The Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) sets the Victorian Curriculum F–10. The Victorian Curriculum F–10 sets out the knowledge and skills every student should learn during their first 11 years of schooling to become lifelong learners, confident individuals and active and informed citizens prepared to navigate a diverse and changing world.

Mandated curriculum content

The minimum standards for school registration are evidence of a curriculum plan showing how the 8 key learning areas will be substantially addressed and how the curriculum will be organised and implemented. The 8 key learning areas are:

• English
• Mathematics
• Science
• Humanities (including civics and citizenship, economics and business, geography and history)
• the Arts (including dance, drama, media arts, music, visual arts and visual communication design)
• Languages
• Health and Physical Education
• Technologies (Design and Technology and Digital Technology).

Victorian government schools must also embed the 4 capabilities:

• Critical and Creative Thinking
• Ethical
• Intercultural
• Personal and Social.

Reading position F–2

All Victorian government primary and specialist schools must implement a structured literacy approach to teaching reading, commencing implementation from 2025, with full implementation from the beginning of the 2027 school year.

As part of this approach, all schools teaching students in the first 3 years of school must use a teaching program based on the 'Big 6' of learning to read and including a minimum of 25 minutes daily systematic synthetic phonics. For more information, visit: Victoria's approach to teaching reading F–2.

Mathematics position statement

The Mathematics position statement outlines Victoria’s approach to teaching Mathematics. It prioritises evidence-based practices aligned with how students learn. This includes recommended time allocations of about 60 minutes per day in Prep to Year 6 and about 200 minutes a week in Years 7 to 10. For more information, visit: Mathematics position statement.

Career education

All students in Years 7 to 12 must participate in planned career education activities. Refer to Career Education Funding – Accountability and Reporting Requirements.

Holocaust education

All Victorian government school students in the Years 9 to 10 band of schooling must be taught about the Holocaust as part of the school’s curriculum program. Refer to Holocaust Education – Delivery Requirements.

Languages

All Victorian government schools must provide a languages program for students from Foundation to Year 10. Refer to Languages Education.

Sexuality and consent education

All Victorian government school students must receive a comprehensive and age-appropriate sexual health education aligned to the Victorian Curriculum, including the teaching of consent. Refer to Sexuality and Consent Education.

Student wellbeing

School-based curriculum programs must:

• incorporate opportunities for all students to enhance their own and others' wellbeing
• support students to develop knowledge, understanding and skills that enable them to engage critically with a range of health and wellbeing areas and issues.

General religious education

Learning about religions is part of the Victorian Curriculum. General religious education provides information to students about world faiths and secular belief structures, enabling them to understand the world around them, respect differences and embrace people from all cultural and religious backgrounds to build strong and respectful relationships within a multicultural society.

All education providers must ensure that their programs and teachings are delivered in a manner that supports and promotes the principles and practice of democracy, including a commitment to freedom of religion, speech and association. Government school teachers must not provide teaching in religion other than general religious education.

Religious celebrations and festivals

General religious education may include teaching about, and acknowledgement of, religious celebrations or festivals. This may include recognition of, and educational activities relating to, key religious celebrations such as Christmas, Diwali, Eid al-Adha or Hanukkah. For more information about the role of special religious instruction instructors at general religious education events refer to School celebrations and cultural events in Special Religious Instruction.

Guest speakers

General religious education classes or events may include guest speakers who are representatives of a particular faith to explain the workings and belief structures of their religion. However, the guest speakers must not provide instruction in their religion or promote the religion. They must comply with the department’s policy on Visitors in Schools. For information about organisations that can provide guest speakers representing particular religions, refer to Teaching about world religions in the Resources tab of this topic.

Time allocations

A minimum time allocation is mandated for physical and sport education in Victorian government schools. Refer to Physical and Sport Education – Delivery Requirements.

All Victorian primary schools must teach a minimum of 25 minutes of systematic synthetic phonics across grades Prep-2 daily. Refer to Victorian reading position.

Time allocations are not mandated in other learning areas. While time allocations are not a measure of the quality of the teaching and learning program, the amount of time students are given to engage with a curriculum area will influence the knowledge and skills that can be addressed.

Curriculum implementation supports for schools

Departmental supports include:

• Victorian Lesson Plans for English (including Phonics Plus), Mathematics, Science, Design and Technologies
• VTLM 2.0 Guides (visit Victorian Teaching and Learning Model (VTLM 2.0) on Arc) that set out practices and techniques for the Planning, Enabling learning, Explicit teaching and Supported application elements of teaching. Note: VTLM 2.0 Planning Guides provide guidance on developing the whole-school teaching and learning program, including the 4 interrelated layers of curriculum documentation (whole-school, curriculum area, year level, unit and lesson plans)
• webinars, professional learning opportunities to support curriculum implementation and teaching resources (visit Arc: Supporting Victorian teachers)
• Year 1 Phonics Check (available in 2025 and mandatory for all Victorian government primary schools from 2026)
• Year 1 Numeracy Check 2026 Pilot (mandatory for all Victorian government primary schools from 2027).

The VCAA provides:

• guidelines to support schools’ curriculum implementation planning at: Victorian Curriculum F–10 Revised curriculum planning and reporting guidelines (PDF)
• curriculum area-specific resources, including introductory videos, comparisons of curriculums (Victorian Curriculum F–10 Version 1.0 to Version 2.0), scope and sequences and glossaries, at: Victorian Curriculum F–10 Version 2.0.

Selecting appropriate teaching and learning materials

All Victorian government schools must ensure that teaching and learning resources provide challenging and engaging learning programs for students but do not offend students or the wider school community due to an obscene, offensive or controversial nature. Refer to Teaching and Learning Resources – Selecting Appropriate Materials.

For reference: curriculum responsibilities of Victorian government agencies

The Department of Education is responsible for developing policies, guidance and resources to support quality curriculum implementation in Victorian government schools. In exercising this responsibility, the department aims to provide equitable access for every government school student to excellent education, as set out in the priorities of the refreshed Education State.

The VCAA is responsible for developing the curriculum for Victoria’s school-aged students. The Victorian Curriculum F–10 adopts and adapts the Australian Curriculum for Victoria’s context. It sets out the set of knowledge and skills every Victorian student should learn during their first 11 years of schooling.

The Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority (VRQA) is responsible for registering Victorian schools. As a threshold for school registration, the VRQA requires evidence of a curriculum plan showing how 8 key learning areas will be substantially addressed and how the curriculum will be organised and implemented. For further information, refer to: Guidelines to the Minimum Standards and Requirements for School Registration.

Related policies

• Assessment of Student Achievement and Progress for Foundation to 10
• Career Education Funding – Accountability and Reporting Requirements
• Holocaust Education – Delivery Requirements
• Languages Education
• Physical and Sport Education – Delivery Requirements
• Reporting Student Achievement and Progress for Foundation to 10
• Sexuality and Consent Education
• Special Religious Instruction
• Teaching and Learning Resources – Selecting Appropriate Materials